and my people but because of certain ways...’ She hesitated and then explained. ‘Always there must be a royal in residence. Fatiq was already a king when we married so I never even had a honeymoon. Now one of my sons steps in if we have to go away for formal occasions. Usually it is Zahir, but both of them have busy lives, so they only return when they must. I know that a holiday would be rejuvenating. I dream of having some time away with my husband to replenish myself, although I can’t see it ever happening. Take some time for yourself, Adele, and you will return refreshed and better able to take care of your mother.’
It helped to hear that.
The wise, gentle words made Adele feel better about taking a short break.
‘I must get back to work.’ It had been nice talking and before she went Adele wished Leila well for her operation on Monday.
‘I doubt you’ll be up to visitors on Monday night but I’ll come in after my shift on Tuesday morning.’
‘I shall look forward to it,’ Leila said. ‘Enjoy dinner tonight.’
Adele did.
Her date went well, in fact. Paul was nice, and perfectly fine, except she didn’t fancy him.
Not a bit.
And it neither started nor ended with a kiss.
It just wasn’t there.
For Adele at least.
Monday came and in the afternoon Adele lay in bed, trying to get some sleep before her night shift.
Then Helga and James started to row.
Again.
She had gone to look at the one-bedroom flat, along with many others. She had put an application in and all Adele could do now was hope.
Oh, Leila was right, she needed a break.
She had two weeks of night duty to get through and then the world was her oyster.
Not quite.
She sat up and reached for her laptop and checked her bank account.
Still, it didn’t stop her from daydreaming. She liked the look of Greece though she was still considering the South of France when an advert for exotic honeymoon destinations caught her eye.
Well, not the honeymoon word. Adele couldn’t even get the excitement up for a second date. Paul had called over the weekend, suggesting that they go to the movies, but she had said no.
There was no point.
No, it was the destination that had her pause.
Mamlakat Almas.
That was where Zahir was from.
Adele clicked on it and immediately she was swept away.
She found out that the name translated to Kingdom of Diamonds.
It looked incredible. Adele watched a short film. It was taken from the air and she saw the azure water and the pristine white beaches. From snatches of conversations when she had worked with Dakan and from the odd comment Zahir had made, she had thought it was all ancient buildings and desert. And, yes, there was all of that—the film led her through the desert and she saw a caravan of camels and Bedouin tribes as well as colourful souqs. The city skyline, though, was modern, with golden high-rise buildings that shimmered in the sun.
And there, most beautiful of all, was Qasr Almas.
Diamond Palace.
Zahir’s home.
It was spectacular—an imposing white residence with beach and ocean on the one side yet the desert started directly behind and spread into the distance.
The palace was dotted with stones, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires and some diamonds too.
Adele wanted to see it and she wanted to be there in the souqs and especially out in the desert.
She read the comments and most agreed it was an amazing destination. There was a certain magic to it, many said, and it was perfect for a honeymoon or romantic getaway.
Then Adele read the negative comments and they were all pretty much the same.
Don’t get taken ill there!
Bring your own medication!
And one was aimed at a tour guide.
He couldn’t even answer why the palace is called Diamond Palace and yet it is mainly coloured stones.
Oh, she would love to go there.
Right now, though, she needed to sleep.
It was bad enough trying to sleep when she was working days—her flatmates liked to party hard, it didn’t matter what day of the week. Trying to sleep during the day was almost impossible—there were doors slamming, arguments breaking out. After a fitful sleep Adele woke to the sound of the television blaring and loud chatter from the kitchen as supper was being made.
She was tired before her shift even started. It was going to be a very long night.
* * *
Zahir also wasn’t having the best of days.
While he was grateful that his mother’s operation had gone smoothly, he was furious that it had to come to this.
There was only one small hospital in his home town. Zahir had had several architects working on plans for a new one, yet his father had halted him every step of the way and in the end the project had been abandoned.
The whole health system in Mamlakat Almas needed to be addressed and better ways implemented.
The main reason that Zahir and his brother had chosen to study medicine had been so that they could knowledgeably implement the changes that were needed, yet they were thwarted at every turn. Their father refused to move forward and over and over he came up with reasons why the plans for the hospital could not go ahead.
Zahir had now had enough.
Finding out that his mother had had to travel to another country just to get suitable treatment did not sit well with him.
He looked at his mother, drowsy from anaesthetic, and was told by Mr Oman that surgery had gone well. ‘I’m surprised she waited so long,’ the surgeon commented.
Zahir was sure his mother had been struggling for a long time and it meant his mood was not the most pleasant as he made his way back to the emergency department after visiting her.
And Zahir’s already dark mood did not improve when he saw a woman holding a large bouquet of flowers asking one of the nurses if they could be delivered to Adele Jenson.
‘She’s not on duty till tonight,’ the nurse said, taking the flower arrangement. ‘But I’ll see that she gets them.’
Once
